The Sane (or Lazy) Way to Coupon

The Sane (or Lazy) Way to Coupon

With two children, both the hubby and I being self employed, a child in private school and sports, as well as having an infant still in diapers and a car payment;  my whole life is dedicated to saving a buck, earning cash back, and having multiple streams of income.  I am seriously thinking about renting out space on my body for advertising tattoos.  Yes, it is that serious.  I am one of those crazy coupon ladies all the clerks and store managers at my local grocery stores know me by name.

This behavior is born out of necessity, of course, however, there is something thrilling about going to the grocery store and getting paid to shop or saving ridiculous amounts of money.  On my best days, I walk out with a full grocery cart (or two) with having paid under $20.  Twenty dollars isn't as good as those extreme couponers who manage to leave with thousands of dollars in merchandise AND with cashback. (Walmart is good for cash back off of coupons as an FYI)  However, with the Inbox Dollars (www.inboxdollars.com) and Ibotta Cash App (http://ibotta.com) I know I am recouping some of that $20 spent, if not all.

I did do the extreme couponing thing for a while, and I got pretty good at it.  However, it quickly becomes a full time job; cutting circulars, scouring for coupons, monitoring multiple store sales, intimate knowledge of store sales seasons, and usually ending up with 30 boxes of Advil and 50 bottles of mustard...it gets time and space consuming fast.  On a positive note, while I was knee deep in circulars, printer ink and scissors, I did manage to build an impressive stockpile of food,water and toiletries, some of which I donated to save space in my home.  I also did gain a great knowledge on how to coupon effectively without having to spend 30 hours a week doing it.

So here is how I do it:

I rarely go to the store with knowing exactly what I want.  When you go to the store willy nilly you are prone to overspend.  So I get my game plan together.  It will most likely change a bit after I go through the rest of the steps, however it's a much needed starting point.

Then I go straight to Coupon Mom to check to see which stores I shop at are having sales on what items.  I look to see if the items on my working list are on sale and if there are any items I will most likely need  (like toothpaste, deodorant, toilet paper etc) are on sale.  At this point, I am planning on what store (or stores) I am going to and what other necessity (or free) items I can add to the list.  I do not however print my coupons from Coupon Mom.  I also use various store apps to see what sales they are running locally just incase Coupon Mom missed some deals.

Coupon Mom is a great resource as it actually matches circular and printed coupons to the sales items for you! (www.couponmom.com)

Then I print most of my coupons from Inbox Dollars (www.inboxdollars.com).  Inbox Dollars offers printable coupons and 9.9 times out of 10 they are the same coupons that Coupon Mom has on their site.  So why do I use Inbox Dollars?  Because with each coupon I redeem, I get 10 cents credited to my account.  I know 10 cents isn't a lot of money.  However, in the month of May I redeemed 230 coupons.  I'll let you do the math on that.  For any coupon I don't already have or can't print via Inbox Dollars, I do a simple Google search or I go directly to the manufacturers website for printable coupons.  It usually works.

Then I go to my trusty Ibotta Cash App (http://ibotta.com) and compare what I need, what's on sale and what I have a coupon for to what Ibotta Cash App (http://ibotta.com) is offering in rebates. At this step I am finalizing my list.  There have been times that between the store deals, store coupon, Inbox Dollars coupon, and the Ibotta rebate, I have basically been paid to take the merchandise out of the store.

Here is how the  Ibotta Cash App (http://ibotta.com) works:

You sign up and download the app here http://ibotta.com (Available on Android and iPhone.  Unfortunately there is not a Windows App available yet)
Once you download the app on your phone and go through the start up process, start unlocking rebates for your favorite stores!
Start shopping!  Buy the featured products you want and hold on to your receipt
Lastly, get paid!  It can take up to 24 hours to get paid, but usually it hits your account in less than 1 hour!  You can have funds transferred to Paypal or Venmo, or treat yourself to a gift card from Regal Cinema, Starbucks or Itunes!
Yep, it's that easy!

So the maximum savings formula is easy:

STORE SALES + STORE COUPON+MANUFACTURER COUPON=MAXIMUM SAVINGS

AND

MAXIMUM SAVINGS+INBOX DOLLARS COUPON+IBOTTA CASH APP=CASHBACK (Sometimes at a profit!)

For example, I went to Safeway to buy Chloe diapers.  Safeway normally sells Pampers for $9.99 and were offering a store coupon for $2.00.  Then I had an Inbox Dollars coupon for $1.50.  Which would bring my total to $6.49 ($6.39 if you count the 10 cents gained for the Inbox Dollars coupon).  However, I went to the clearance section and found the Pampers Cruisers for 50% off which now brings the diapers to $5.00.  With the $2.00 store coupon and $1.50 Inbox Dollars coupon that brought it down to $1.50!  With the 10 cents from Inbox Dollars and $1.00 rebate from Ibotta I paid 40 cents for $10 diapers.  And if you have to buy diapers you KNOW what a score that is! 

So this month Ibotta is running a contest.  You get extra cash for reaching a team goal of $10!  I am already at $4.25 by myself, soooooooo can you join my team?  Please?  Join my team, because as you can see (from the screenshot to your left) I earn cashback (smile)  Click here http://ibotta.com/r/twoja to join my team!

As always, Happy Shopping!

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. SO please get to clicking :) ** 

PS You can connect with me on:

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Summer Camps for Kids!

Summer Camps for Kids!

Believe it or not, the season for summer camp preparation has begun! And I don't know about you...but after this long winter and all these snow days, I am ready for it.  This year, I do not want my son to go to a stay over camp, so I am trying to find day camps (affordable day camps, mind you).

In my search, I have come across from pretty neat and interesting camps besides your usual sports camps.

Camp Shakespeare: "During this two-week summer camp, young actors dive head first into the world of the greatest playwright in history: William Shakespeare. Under the guidance of theatre professionals, participants unravel his plays with text analysis; transform into Shakespeare’s characters through voice, movement and improvisation work; wage battles against mortal enemies with stage combat; and develop fundamental acting skills using classical theatre techniques. To culminate each session, participants stage a performance for friends and family at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Join STC for a dynamic and dramatic summer camp experience, perfect for any budding performer or Shakespeare lover.

If you can act Shakespeare, you can act anything."

You can find more information here: http://www.shakespearetheatre.org

Mad Science Summer Camp: From the site; "Mad Science camps offer a daily combination of in-class discovery and exploration, outdoor games and physical activities, and hands-on applications of the scientific principles presented.

Your child will be able touch, see, hear, smell and taste what science is really all about.

We use simple, real world science techniques that allow even the youngest of campers to enjoy our learning environment.

Campers create, build and assemble a variety of take-home projects while exploring how science affects the world around us. 

Children have so much fun that they forget they’re learning!"  Click here http://dc.madscience.org/ for more information.

Smithsonian Summer Camp: There’s no more exciting place to spend the summer than at Summer Camp at the Smithsonian, where all kinds of dreams

can come true. Where else can campers blast into space or take center stage, create a masterpiece or invent a fantasy world, or relive history or learn to shape the future of the planet? The rich and exciting world of the Smithsonian Summer Camp program, now in its 45th year, is all theirs to discover in these one-of-a-kind learning experiences that spark the imagination—and offers plenty of great fun! Click here https://smithsonianassociates.org/camp/Default.aspx for more information.

These camps offer fun and exciting ways to inspire creativity and learning, while exposing them to the arts and sciences.  They are affordable too!  

By now, with all these awesome summer camp ideas, I know you're already scrambling to sign your kids up, and soon you'll be sorting through the piles of sunscreen, swimsuits and sneakers. Help make their lives a little more organized (and yours a little easier) by picking up some Limited Edition Camp Combo Packs from Mabel's Labels . These UV resistant, waterproof labels and tags are designed for kid camp equipment — clothing, toiletries, swim gear, backpacks and more — and ready to take a summer beating. To complete the outfit of adventure, receive 20% off of an insulated water bottle from Eco Vessel with your Limited Edition Camp Combo Pack purchase.

Let Mabel's Labels help you to get them sorted, tagged and prepped for a summer they won't soon forget. Plus, save $2 with early bird pricing now through April 30th! 

Here's to summer, happy kids and happy camping! 

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